第 0378 號，共 1 402 號

Rhombic night adder

Causus rhombeatus

名字的由來： "Rhombic" refers to the rhombus-shaped blotches along its back.1

只是會痛會痛，但不會對你造成嚴重傷害。

蝰蛇

咬吃：肉

對人的危險: 疼痛可能會非常痛，但幾乎從來不會很嚴重。

The rhombic night adder is a venomous snake found across much of Sub-Saharan Africa. It is the largest snake in its genus, Causus, and it has a striking threat display that makes it look more dangerous than its venom usually makes it.1

分布在

Sub-Saharan Africa, from Nigeria east to Sudan and Kenya, south to eastern South Africa1

非洲

首頁

It lives in forest, savanna, shrubland and grassland, at heights of 600 to 2,200 metres. It is usually found on the ground, but it can climb and swim.1

長度

93 cm (3,1 ft)1

最高速度

大約 3,3 km/h（2,1 mph）

在陸地上: 牠的維基百科條目

牠吃什麼？

It mainly eats toads, but it also eats frogs and small mammals.1

Rhombic night adder 的照片 — Rhombic night adder。照片：Paul venter。 CC BY-SA 3.0, Wikimedia Commons.

怎麼認出牠

The main colour is usually a shade of brown, sometimes pinkish or greyish, and occasionally olive green.1
It has 20 to 30 rhombic (diamond-shaped) blotches with pale edges running along its back.1
Oblique black bars on its sides are each topped by one or two black spots with pale centres, which look like eyes.1
The head has a V-shaped mark that may be solid black, or brown with a black outline.1
Northern populations may have no pattern at all, which makes them harder to identify.1

常被誤認為： The common egg-eater (Dasypeltis scabra) is compared with this snake. Its colour pattern and behaviour may be a form of defensive mimicry, meaning it may resemble another animal to stay safe.1

毒液力量

咬

咬的時候，毒液會從毒牙或牙齒出來。

牠的毒液有什麼作用？

The venom is low in toxicity. Bites usually cause pain and minor swelling, with little tissue death (necrosis), and these symptoms usually fade within 2 to 3 days. Bites can still be serious, as in at least one case where a child needed a fasciotomy, a surgical operation to relieve pressure in a limb.1

牠對人有多危險？

對人的危險: 疼痛可能會非常痛，但幾乎從來不會很嚴重。

Most individuals are docile and seldom bite unless severely provoked. Bites can be serious, but there are no modern, well-documented cases of deaths from this species.1

牠害怕時會做什麼？

When seriously disturbed, it coils up, inflates its body so the dark markings stand out, hisses and puffs loudly, flattens the front of its body and neck, and strikes frantically.1

如果牠咬人

讓傷者保持不動和冷靜，讓被咬的手臂或腿保持在和心臟一樣的高度，取下戒指和緊身的東西，並趕快送醫院。

一定要先打緊急電話（112、000、911）。這是一般急救指引，不是醫療建議。急救基本知識

注意安全

絕對不要碰、抓或捉弄野生動物，就算是很小的動物，就算牠看起來在睡覺或已經死了也一樣。
給牠空間。如果遇到了，保持冷靜，慢慢往後退，讓牠自己離開。
如果被牠咬了：保持冷靜，保持不動，打緊急電話（112、000、911）或趕快去醫院。記住牠的樣子，有照片會很有幫助。

牠不是想來抓你。牠用毒液來捕捉食物或保護自己，而且牠更想躲起來。更多安全知識

在世界上的哪裡？

非洲亞洲歐洲北美洲南美洲澳洲與大洋洲

牠有多大？

牠有多長？

跟 2 隻家貓從鼻子接到尾巴一樣長跟 5 根香蕉頭尾相接一樣長可以在 110 秒內跑完 100 公尺（最快的人類需要 9.6 秒）

Rhombic night adder 跟「你」比起來有多大？

只是在你的瀏覽器裡做算術。什麼都不會儲存，也不會傳送到任何地方。

牠有多快？

一隻陸龜 大約 0,3 km/h (0,19 mph)

Rhombic night adder 大約 3,3 km/h (2,1 mph)

一個正在走路的人 大約 5 km/h (3,1 mph)

值得知道

小知識

When striking, small individuals can lift themselves off the ground entirely.1

Its dark spots on the sides strongly resemble eyes.1

It is the largest member of the genus Causus, with an average total length of 60 cm.1

Newly hatched young feed on tiny frogs and toads.1

破解迷思

迷思： Its bite is deadly.

真相： There are no modern, well-documented cases of deaths from this species. Bites usually cause pain and minor swelling that fade within 2 to 3 days, although bites can still be serious.1

給毒液專家

學名: Causus rhombeatus
類群: 蝰蛇
家人: Viperidae2
排序: Squamata
各大洲: 非洲
寶寶: Females lay an average clutch of 24 eggs, which take about four months to hatch. The hatchlings are 10 to 12.5 cm long and feed on tiny frogs and toads.1
對人的危險: 2 / 5: 疼痛3